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ACsE employees should receive raises Friday

Representatives of the Association of Civil Service Employees should expect to see their paychecks expand Friday as the new amount would reflect both a retroactive sum and new hourly rates.

The surge in their stubs stems from a decision the union made last month with the University. Under Chancellor Walter Wendler's proposal, which was approved by the ACsE on June 18, the net proceeds would reflect a 2-percent increase computed back to Feb. 1.

Since the acceptance came at the closing of a fiscal year, Human Resources was given the task to upload the new pay raises into the Administrative Information System, which handles SIUC's financial matters, according to Kathy Blackwell, who is the director of the department.

Blackwell said the raises have been uplifted and those affected would be notified through their particular department.

"I am glad that we were able to get them implemented," Blackwell said.

According to ACsE President Ruth Pommier, members of the union, as well as others affected by the salary adjustments, received statements last week informing them of the increases.

Pommier also said calculations for approximately 50 ACsE employees were pending as of last week, but all are expected to have received statements before Friday's payday.

The upcoming increase is the conclusion of a power struggle that has existed between ACsE and SIUC administrators during the last calendar year. After discovering that 2-percent increases were rewarded to SIUE-affiliated employees by SIU President James Walker in July 2003, members at the SIUC union filed a grievance in September against the University.

The ACsE reasoned that representatives on both SIU campuses should receive the same offer, but SIUC administrators mentioned opposing budgets of the universities as to why only SIUE members received raises.

Plans for the ACsE to proceed with arbitration in March continued even after Wendler offered a similar increase to many campus employees in February. Although the ACsE was qualified to receive such a raise in February, members of the union voted to turn down the proposal.

Indianapolis arbitrator Edward Archer's decision in favor of the University was received by both parties on June 16, and two days later, Wendler announced the acceptance of a salary offer by the ACsE. The bid re-issued the original February proposal.

Approximately 2,500 civil service employees work at SIUC, with 500 of those workers represented by the ACsE.

Employees who had retired or who are no longer with the University would also obtain the salary increases for any hours worked since the Feb. 1 starting date.

With the situation behind them, ACsE members can now focus on the approaching 2004-2005 academic year.

"Now, we look forward to a new semester and the opportunity of welcoming both our new and returning students to their SIU family," Pommier said.